29 Drag Cars From The 50th Winternationals - Back To The Future

Even sitting still, the most interesting vehicles participating in the NHRA's 50th annual Winternationals might've been the 80 or so parked just outside of Pomona Raceway's jam-packed pit area. Although nothing on display in this Golden 50 Corral ever rivaled a modern, 8,000hp Top Fuel car for sheer shock and awesomeness, the cookie-cutter conformity of today's 1,000-foot spec racers becomes sadly apparent whenever they share space with the diverse creations that pounded pavement in the '60s, '70s, and even the '80s.

2/52Here's the Stone, Woods, and Cook Swindler II today. In the '60s, it was traded to a fiberglass maker, then sold to Joe Troilo in 1972. He made a street rod out of it, then swapped it to Mike Wale in the late '70s. Mike returned it to Joe in 2003, and a restoration to 1962 specs ensued. The car won the Preservation Award at Detroit Autorama in 2007.

First, though, you had to go find them-beyond the motorcoach-protected private compounds of Pro racers' hospitality areas, out past the last Sportsman trailer, and almost to the finish line in what was previously an overflow parking lot for NHRA officials and their guests.

That long walk was worth it for all those folks-of all ages-who paid their respects to the old cars and the many old racers who sat for hours signing autographs. Canes and aluminum walkers were way outnumbered by spiky haircuts and Converse All-Stars. For once, the biggest crowds at a national event were not surrounding the pit of John Force-who was among the current celebrities seen enjoying the near-continuous cackling that sweetened the Corral's air with 98 percent nitro loads that sound and smell so much better than the NHRA's maximum 90/10 mixture.

3/52During restoration a few years ago, the original interior by Ed Martinez only needed to be cleaned up. It's amazing it survived the car's many iterations.

Today, many more nitro burners are being built by nostalgia lovers than by NHRA racers, even counting multicar professional teams and the unblown A/Fuelers active in Top Alcohol Dragster Eliminator. Ironically, the best prospect for ensuring the sanctioning body's long-term future may well be exploiting the past. The first clues came in 2004, when golden anniversary U.S. Nationals hoopla, including a display of old race cars, drew the largest crowd in years (and larger than any since). Another stout turnout for Winternationals No. 50, despite a much different economy than 2004's, confirms that old iron attracts new blood, along with countless former fans.

Rather than making us all wait till 2014 for another race to turn 50 (the Springnationals and the World Finals), the NHRA might be wise to extend the nostalgia theme to all of its shows. All areas of the country are by now bursting with real cars and clones of local significance and interest. As long as their owners remain willing to display and fire these crowd-pleasers in exchange for free admission, the NHRA is being handed a golden opportunity to fill some empty seats-without spending a cent. Even those blind to the sport's glorious history should be able to see a path to the future that's coming straight from our past.